During the offseason, the Minnesota Vikings released their all-time leading rusher Adrian Peterson, making him a free agent. The 32-year-old Peterson, who insisted he still had many productive years ahead of him, decided to sign with the New Orleans Saints, who have a great passing game, because he thought he would get a lot of playing time and won’t face a lot of 8-man fronts.

In their first game of the season, the Saints played the Vikings and Peterson was expected to get a lot of playing time and stick it to his former team. However, Peterson was buried on the Saints depth chart and had only six carries for 18 yards in the game. In his four games with the Saints, Peterson had 27 carries for 81 yards and 0 touchdowns.

Last week, the Saints decided to trade the unhappy Peterson to the Arizona Cardinals, who were in need of a running back to replace the injured David Johnson. All over the country this also prompted a lot of fantasy bettors to start Peterson.

In his first game with the Cardinals, Peterson showed he is still capable of being a productive back, running for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26 carries, leading the Cardinals to a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I feel good,” Peterson said after the game. “This is the opportunity I have been waiting for. Like I said, I got that call on Tuesday and I was rejuvenated. My wife even saw it. She said, ‘It’s like a boulder was just lifted off your back.’ I knew I was going to have the opportunity I was waiting for, and it’s all about taking advantage of it.”

After the game, the Cardinals fans, who had been disappointed in the team’s lack of offensive balance, gave Peterson a standing ovation.

“It’s satisfying,” Peterson said. “Up until this point, you hear so much from outside sources, and I do a great job of blocking out but I’m hearing it. And when you hear those things they kind of hit you a little bit. But, for me, I never lose focus.”